Hook for garment hangers



Sept. 11, 1956 s. o. HULETT 2,762,103

HOOK FGR GARMENT HANGERS Filed April 28, 1953 INVENTOR. 6/706 0. f/u/eUnited States Patent HOOK FOR GARlVIENT HANGERS Snoe 0. Hulett, SpringCreek, Pa. Application April 28, 1953, Serial No. 351,613 2 Claims. (Cl.24237) This invention relates to garment hanger construction, and moreparticularly has reference to a hook of a garment hanger, that increasesthe versatility of said hanger so far as the suspension of the hangerfrom supporting structures is concerned.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a garmenthanger hook which will be adapted not only for extension over aconventional clothes pole, but also for engagement with a supportingstring, wire, rope, nail, or the like.

A further object of importance is to achieve said versatility of thehook part of a garment hanger without adding materially to the cost ofthe hanger.

Yet another object is to provide a garment hanger as stated wherein thenovelly designed hook part can be associated with garment supportmembers of conventional design.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a garment hanger equipped with ahook formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hook per se.

The reference numeral has been applied generally in the drawing todesignate a garment hanger, said hanger including a conventional garmentsupport member 12.

The garment hanger hook has been designated by the reference numeral 14,"and includes an elongated shank the lower end portion of which isextended through an opening 16 formed in the member 12 medially betweenopposite ends of said member.

The shank of the garment hanger hook is provided, at its lower end, witha head 18, against which is engaged a washer 20 that forms an abutmentlimiting movement of the shank upwardly within opening 16.

At its upper end, the shank of the hook is integral with one end of anarcuate main hook 22, said main hook being integral, at its other end,with an auxiliary hook. The main and auxiliary hooks are joined by aconnecting bight 24, the connecting bight 24 merging into one end of theauxiliary hook. The auxiliary hook has been designated by the referencenumeral 26, and as will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, extends for asubstantial part of its length in longitudinal contact with the mainbook. The portion of the auxiliary hook that is in longitudinal contactwith the main hook constitutes a main portion designated by thereference numeral 27, and lies in a plane paralleling that of the mainhook.

Adjacent its free end, the auxiliary hook is provided with an offset,said ofiset including a portion 28 extending outwardly from the generalplane of the auxiliary hook, the portion 28 merging at its outer endinto a return portion 30. The return portion 30 in turn merges into aterminal part 32. Portions 28, 30 lie in a plane normal to the planes ofthe main and auxiliary hooks.

It will be noted that the portion 30 extends into longitudinal contact,for a short distance, with the shank of the hook, the contacting partsbeing designated at 34 and cooperating to define relatively spreadablejaw portions.

Further, it will be seen that the terminal part 32 and the shank of thehook diverge in a direction away from said relatively spreadable jawportions, thus to define therebetween a taperedthroat that facilitatesentry of a line L or other object on which the garment hanger is to besupported. Terminal part 32 lies in a plane angular to that of portions28, 30 but also normal to the planes of the main and auxiliary hooks.

Between the ofiset of the auxiliary hook and the main hook, there isdefined an open area 36, the line L entering said open area afterpassing the jaw portions (see Figure 2).

The garment hanger can, of course, be used in the regular manner, thatis, it can be suspended from a clothes bar of substantial diameter. If,however, the hanger is to be suspended from a string, rope, clothesline,or nail, the article or structure from which the hanger is to besuspended is entered into the tapered throat, spreading the jaw portionsmomentarily until the said article or support means enters the area 36.

It will thus be seen that the versatility of the hanger is measurablyincreased, at little or no increase in cost above a conventional hanger.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carryout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hook for suspending a garment hanger from an overhead supportelement, comprising a single length of wire material including anelongated, substantially straight, hook shank, an arcuate hook integralat one end with said shank and lying with the shank in a first plane,and an auxiliary hook having a main portion integral at one end with theother end of the main hook, said auxiliary hook main portion extendingalongside the main hook in longitudinal contact therewith in a secondplane paralleling the first plane, to a location adjacent the free endof the auxiliary hook, said auxiliary hook having at said location alaterally bowed portion projecting out of the second plane in adirection away from the shank and cooperating with the shank to define,between the main and auxiliary hooks, an open area for receiving anoverhead support element, the auxiliary hook having a free end portioninto which the bowed portion merges at one end, said free end portionbeing tensioned into engagement with said hook shank at the lower end ofsaid area to define relatively spreadable jaw portions of the shank andauxiliary hook respectively providing access to said area for thehook-support means, said jaw portions when spread apart forming an openspace below and aligned vertically with theoverhead-support-element-confining portion of said area, through whichspace the overhead support element is movable in a vertical directioninto and out of said area, the auxiliary hook having its free enddiverging relative to the hook shank in a direction away from the pointof engagement between said jaw portions, said free end of the auxiliaryhook cooperating with the hook shank to define therebetween a taperedthroat below and in vertical alignment with said space, into which saidoverhead support element may be inserted.

2. A hook for suspending a garment hanger from an overheadsupportelement, comprising a single length of wire material including anelongated, straight, hook shank, an arcuate hook integral at one endwith said shank and lying with the shank in a first plane, and anauxiliary hook having a main portion integral at one end with the otherend of the main hook, said auxiliary hook main portion extendingalongside the main hook in longitudinal contact therewith in a second.plane paralleling the first plane, to a location adjacent the free endof the auxiliary hook, said auxiliary hook having at said location alaterally bowed. portion projectingout of the second plane in adirection away from the shank and cooperating with the shank to define,between the main and auxiliary hooks, an open area for receiving anoverhead support element, the auxiliary hook having a free end portioninto which the bowed portion merges at one end, said free end portionbeing tensioned into engagement with said hook shank at the lower end ofsaid area to define relatively spreadable jaw portions of the shankjandauxiliary hook respectively providing access to substantially said areafor the hook-support means, said jaw portions when spread apart formingan open space below and aligned vertically with theoverhead-support-elernentconfining portion of said area, through whichspace the overhead support element is movable in a vertical directioninto and out of said area, the auxiliary hook having its free enddiverging relative to the hook shank in a direction away from thepointof engagement between said jaw portions, said :freeend oftheiauxiliary hook cooperating with the hook shank to definetherebetweena tapered throat below and in 'vertical'alignrnent with saidspace, into. -which said. overhead isupport element may be inserted,said laterally bowed portion and said freeend portion lying in planesnormal to said first and second planes, for extension of said overheadsupport element through said throat into said space in a position inwhich the length of said overhead support element parallels said firstand second planes.

References Cited in thefile'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,380,466 Buster June 7, 1921 1,803,003 Carlewitz Apr. 28,1931 2,046,781Head July 7, 1936 2,210,490 Leonardson Aug. 6, 1940

